Protecting Canada’s Natural Heritage

Protecting Canada’s Natural Heritage

In the early 1960s a plucky band of naturalists had a bold idea. Alarmed by the damage to the natural world they saw all around them, they launched a program to take direct, private action to protect natural spaces while promoting the importance of nature to Canadians. At the time it was an audacious plan. It was also the birth of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC).

Since then, NCC has worked with individuals, communities, conservation partners, landowners, corporations, and governments of all levels across the country to create a natural legacy for all Canadians: 2.8 million acres (more than 1.1 million hectares) protected from coast to coast to coast.

NCC’s conservation process has been fine-tuned over decades of on-the-ground work and continues to evolve to address challenges and threats to biodiversity while addressing social and cultural needs.

The day-to-day conservation efforts are led by some of Canada’s foremost conservation science professionals. They work to identify, plan and execute the protection and ongoing management of Canada’s best natural spaces.

Working in collaboration with its partners, NCC secures the land for the long-term through direct purchase, donation, conservation agreement or land transfer. Once the land is conserved, the work continues. NCC’s stewardship team identifies, manages and mitigates the threats to each property’s natural values.

This process is focused on the southern portions of Canada, where the biodiversity is greatest and the threats to that biodiversity are highest. This is also where most Canadians live, work and play.